If you are discouraged today, chase away the gloom by remembering all the good things God has done in your life over the years. Those things are only a small taste of what awaits you one day when Christ returns.
I believe that the Lord Jesus is on his way back.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and okay, I know, people have been saying that for centuries. Still, the Bible says to long for, look for, and eagerly anticipate the coming of the Lord. Romans 13:11 puts it this way; it says, “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Wow. And then Philippians 4 tells us that the Lord is near. And Revelation says that he’s at the door.
And so, I look around me and I look into the future, and I wonder, could this be the year of Christ’s return? If Jesus does come back, I tell you what, friend: you will experience for the first time what it feels like to be pure and blameless. If Christ comes back this year, your eyes will see your Savior and you will be transformed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye. You’ll be shocked with the brilliant newness of being instantly glorified. You’ll see your loved one walk without his painful limp, and your daughter with her disability, she will throw her arms wide, laugh, and race ahead of you down streets of gold. You will see the stroke survivor run without his cane. You will know family members and friends as God intended them to be all along, with their best attributes shining brightly, and their worst traits gone with the wind. No bruises on your cousin, now free from the shackles of her abusive marriage. No confused thoughts, no mental illness, no Alzheimer’s, and no memory loss. We will only remember the best and most blessed of times.
You’ll see the good lessons that angels and demons learned about God from observing him at work in your mother when she persevered through her painful illness. And you will stand amazed at how your own endurance through pain sent repercussions rumbling through the lives of people you never knew were watching. Oh, if Jesus comes back this year, you’ll be awestruck to see how your hope through hardship forced others you hardly even knew to make tough decisions about God. You’ll witness the world, beautiful, happy, peaceful, and orderly as God designed it to be. You’ll be amazed to see the astounding things that God’s Word accomplished when you were bold enough to share your faith. And you will stand breathless at the way God wove together every dark and bright thread in your life to create a beautiful tapestry of faith, hope, perseverance, and love. Best of all, you will be introduced to the many people whose names were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life all because you took time to tell them about Jesus. Oh, what a wonderful day that’ll be!
Okay, so why am I sharing all this? Well, remember the Israelites who crossed the Jordan to get an idea of what the Promised Land was like? The spies only brought back one cluster of grapes. They were only a small taste of the abundance that awaited them. They had no idea how much wealth awaited them on the other side. And friend, we’re so like that. We have no idea. We are still on this side of the river Jordan, tasting only a flavor, only a bit of God’s goodness. But one day – and that day is coming for us all – one day we will leave behind this life and cross into the Promised Land. So, if you are discouraged today, chase it away by tasting all the good things God has done in your life over the years. Reflect on his love. Encourage one another with these words I’ve shared today and be eager for Christ’s return.
© Joni and Friends